1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a value medium processing device capable of distinguishing between a true and false status of a coin, including reading and/or writing specific electrical value information relative to a portable storage medium, and more specifically, a value medium processing device for inserting such a coin type electrical value information storage medium through a common monetary coin insertion slot, wherein the value medium processing device according to the present invention can be used in a coin-operated game machine, a vending machine, and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-189986 describes a denomination distinguishing mechanism in which an elongated path of the same width as an insertion slot is arranged behind a vertical slit shaped insertion slot capable of inserting either a IC coin or a monetary coin. A coin passage has an inclined surface of a relatively high gradient and a width for passing only coins is formed at a central part in the width direction at a bottom surface of the elongated path. A slit-shaped coin receiving slot of a width to which only the coins will pass through is arranged in front thereof, and an inclined surface of a low gradient is formed adjacent at both edges of the coin passage. The IC coin receiving part is formed in front of the slit shaped coin receiving slot.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-293097 arranges a coin conveyance path to be inclined downward from an insertion slot, with a plurality of shutters in the coin conveyance path to distinguish the size of the inserted coin and for selectively opening the plurality of shutters, to allocate the IC coin and the coin to the appropriate corresponding processing units.
The Japanese Publication 2006-189986 has an advantage in that the monetary coin and the IC coin can be inserted into the same insertion slot, and the customer cannot mistake the insertion slot. However, the monetary coin is dropped to a coin passage by a shoulder of a downwardly inclined surface of a low gradient, and if the coin has developed sufficient inertia force by rolling, it may roll on the shoulder and not fall into the coin passage, and as a result, the desired coins cannot be selected.
The coin is identified after being allocated while rolling on the IC coin passage. Thus, a read and/or write device of the IC coin needs to be arranged downstream of the passage on which the coin rolls, and the device becomes correspondingly larger. The true and false status of a coin is also merely mechanically distinguished by thickness, and thus, a false coin of the same thickness cannot be distinguished.
In order to enhance the true and false distinguish accuracy, the diameter and the material need to be added to perform a more accurate true and false distinction, but such a distinguishing device would need to be arranged in continuation of the coin passage, and the device becomes even larger and thus cannot be formed of a size having compatibility with existing installed machines.
The Japanese Publication 2005-293097 would need to arrange an IC coin processing device and a coin true and false distinguishing unit at a downstream position with a shutter, and also cannot be formed to a small size having compatibility with the existing machines.
Therefore, there is still a need in this industry to provide a compact and economical combination coin and IC coin processing device that can be installed in new machines and retrofitted into existing machine configurations.